


Sweet Cream

by 3tequilafloor



Category: Free!
Genre: Backrubs, Burping, Gen, Gossip, Secrets, Sibling Bonding, Stomach Ache
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-06
Updated: 2016-07-06
Packaged: 2018-07-21 23:08:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 952
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7408822
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/3tequilafloor/pseuds/3tequilafloor
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The one where Rin has a stomach upset, Gou is way too curious, and the neighbours are probably a little worried, honestly.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Sweet Cream

Kou straddles her brother across the middle points of his ilium, digging an elbow into his back where he directs, just under the scapula on the right side. She tries not to be too obvious about the grimace of distaste she’s making, knowing he can be sensitive about the strangest things sometimes.

Anyway, it isn't her fault. He stinks of capsaicin oil and camphor from the muscle rub. It’s burning her eyes from this close up. Rin doesn't seem to care about her discomfort, though. He only pauses to hiccup, which makes his thorax jolt underneath her, and then asks her to press harder, a little lower, just to the left by a centimeter. “You’ll feel it.”

She does, and her elbow slips off in surprise. Rin burps when she catches herself against the back of his rib cage, and she makes a face again as she straightens up and starts to knead at the tight spot. It’s rock hard and swollen, no wonder it’s bothering him. He swears it’s just a muscle cramp, not an injury, but it sure feels like it must hurt.

“What’s the matter?” She asks instead, knowing full well that if she bothers him too much about his shoulder he’s just going to sulk and brood. It’s just the two of them, so Rin isn't embarrassed or apologetic about being gassy, and at first it hadn't concerned Kou much either. He’s a boy, and she’s heard it before. But it’s been too consistent to just be a heavy breakfast bothering him. Anyway, he’s one of the most careful people she’s ever met when it comes to food. None of her friends have stricter diets than her brother, even though they’re trying to look good in their swimsuits too.

Rin hiccups again and groans when Kou gets something to loosen up enough to slide some of the muscle. Her fingers hit intercostal space for a second and they both sigh in relief as she starts to knead at the remaining tense spots. There are two now, with a bit less tension in the middle. “What do you mean?”

“Your stomach.” Kou squeezes him around the middle with her knees, coaxing another belch out of him. This one is louder. It rings off the empty walls in the sun room.

“Don’t shift your weight there.” He chastises her, and buries a follow up belch in the collar of his shirt. Kou pokes him insistently, this time moving more carefully. He sighs. “There was sweet cream in my coffee this morning.”

Ah. That would do it. He’s usually really careful with dairy, and always careful with sugar. Kou frowns. How had both of those things ended up in his coffee? She kneads at the sore spot until he relaxes before she springs the next question on him. “Why?”

Rin grunts, either pained by the way she knuckles down and digs into his muscle or unhappy she’s still asking questions. He burps again, long and low. Then for a while he says nothing, and she wonders if she’ll ever get it out of him. Finally, he mumbles something that’s almost hard to hear. “Someone else bought it.”

Kou’s eyes widen in surprise. She sits upright and covers her mouth with one hand. A date? Her brother finally had a date? “Oooh, so that’s how you hurt your shoulder. The stretch and reach around!”

She can’t see Rin’s face, but she can still tell that he rolls his eyes at her as he muffles another burp against the floor. “No, we were asleep when that happened. Stop bouncing, you’re stirring things up.”

That does make her stop bouncing. In fact, for a moment she can’t quite move at all. She blinks, then glances down at him, dumbfounded. “We?”

Rin sucks in a sharp breath under her, obviously realizing his mistake. “Off!” He commands her, bossy as ever. Usually she’d stick her tongue out while he couldn't see her yet, but this time she just slides off to one side in a daze, jostling him again like he just asked her not to. He lets out the loudest burp yet and swallows thickly as he rolls over and sits up.

“Wow.” Kou says, because it’s all she can think of to say. She can see now that Rin is a little pale and a little sweaty. His usual washboard perfect abdomen looks a little puffy. If she were scoring, she could only give him an 8/10 looking like this. Obviously it’s been good enough for someone, though!

“Not wow. Shut up.” He groans, not particularly eloquent as he wraps an arm around his gurgling stomach.

Kou waves the comment away, deciding to pursue the juicy details when Rin isn’t in obvious distress. “No, you’re right. You’re of an age! It’s only natural. But when can I meet her?”

Knees curled up to his chest, Rin has a more effective way to muffle the next big belch that shakes his frame. He hiccups and sighs again. “Maybe you already have. Just don’t say anything, alright?”

Has she? She can’t even think of any girls Rin has introduced her to in ages. Still, the allure of being in on a big secret is enough to buy her silence for the time being. She grins and nods so enthusiastically that Rin gives her half of a shaky smile back. It dissolves into a painful, gurgly sounding burp and then into a groan, but it’s a better attempt than he usually makes.

She gives him a pat on the back, which brings up another hiccup, and jumps to her feet. “I’ll go out and buy you an antacid. Try not to scare the neighbours until then!”

**Author's Note:**

> A note for anyone reading this who isn't familiar with the series:
> 
>  **Q: Gou in the tags, Kou in the story?**  
>  A: Yep! That's all about perspective. Gou is her name, but she finds it too rough and likes the softer, more feminine pronunciation.


End file.
